I’ve been to Maui, O’ahu, and recently the Big Island of Hawaii. Nate made a travel dream come true for me…We stayed for 7 nights and during that time we adventured from one end of the island to the other… we saw it all and I learned A LOT. Flights are actually priced to sell right now for Hawaii, and if you are fully vaccinated the trip is easy peasy. So, if you are planning a trip to the big island, here are my top tips for preparing and exploring…Have a great time, and don’t forget to do a Luau!!!
1. Book a VRBO or AIRBNB…Here’s Why
We booked a beautiful home on the south side of Kona for a DEAL, it had tons of space, completely updated, and a killer view of the ocean and sunset. My wonderful husband found this place and it blew me away. Why a rental home vs. the traditional resort? You would pay through the nose with a resort. Now, the resort amenities are nice, but, we really enjoyed feeling like we were living there and we knew we would want to venture out and try local places for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was truly an experience and I highly recommend it! And if you get a place with a view of the ocean to watch the sunsets, even better 🙂 🙂
2. Book a rental car through Turo…
We love renting cars through Turo. I have zero interest in paying premium prices for a sub-par rental car when I can have something fun or luxurious for the same price. I also hate standing in line and filling out paperwork only to be rewarded with an over-priced basic 4-door sedan. No thanks. We rented this super fun Mini Cooper and loved it. The car was already waiting for us when we landed. Drop off was easy, the owner of the car was so friendly and awesome, I can’t say enough about how great our experience was. If you’ve never tried it before, TRY IT 🙂
3. Do NOT make dinner reservations without doing a Google Map first…
Learned this one the hard way. We made reservations at Merriman’s in Waimea. It was highly recommended, total foodie place to eat. We looked it up, saw that the chef created a very unique pre-fix menu and we were sold. Come to find out later that the restaurant was an hour and 15 minutes away from where we were staying… so, we made a day out of it which actually turned out to be the BEST day in my opinion 🙂 Had we looked up where it was in proximity to us, we likely would not have booked it. Hawaii is a big BIG island…. things are not close, they are very spread apart and you have to drive around a LOT of lava to get anywhere. Always look up the distance prior to making dinner reservations…you’ll thank me for this one.
4. Pack a small first aid kit that has the essentials…
There is lava everywhere you go on the big island. Most beaches are just lava beaches and you just put your towel down there. The lava is actually quite sharp, it looks smooth but it isn’t. We actually had an incident where Nate slipped and braced himself with his hand, thus getting one wicked lava slice on his finger and needed a band aid. In that moment, my brain said “I wish we had brought a first aid kit”… so, next time we visit the islands, we will certainly have one. With all the hiking and exploring, you really do need to be prepared for injuries.
5. Plan your daily agenda according to driving time…
The big island, as mentioned earlier, is very large and things are very spread out. From where we were at in South Kona, the Volcano National Park was an hour and a half away, Hilo was also an hour and a half. The north end of the island was over an hour’s drive, so we decided to spend the entire day wherever we were to justify the hours spent in the car. There’s no way around driving a lot… and gas is almost $5 a gallon, so….. plan for it.
6. When hiking the island…
Hawaii is certainly a great place to go hiking! This island is all about the adventure so plan to do a handful of hikes where you see the ocean, waterfalls, beautiful cliffs, and stunning beaches (like a black sand beach!) When hiking, be sure to:
- Bring 2-3 bottled waters (or the equivalent)…it’s surprising how fast these go
- Wear a hat, the sun is fierce!
- Wear a bathing suit under your hiking clothes… when you discover a beautiful beach that you had to hike 3 miles to get to, you’ll want to experience the ocean
- Do NOT wear sandals. I made this mistake on one of our hikes…it was brutal.
- Bring some light snacks like trail mix or beef jerky… you might be out there awhile
7. Pack a sweatshirt and jeans…
You wouldn’t think that you’d need these items on a tropical island. However, the weather on the big island is all over the place, including temperature. It can be dark, gloomy and raining in one area, and then clear skies and sunny at the same time. You look up in the sky and you can actually see the difference! Waimea is cold and a bit breezy…I was not prepared for this. Kona is warm and sunny all the time…. Hilo is mostly rainy. This one island has a lot going on weather-wise, so prepare for every temperature and you’ll be all set.
8. Last but not least, pack Ibuprofen…
This island is for the active, and if you plan to hike and explore, you will hurt at the end of the day. I packed a small ziplock of Ibuprofen and I was so glad I did. It was a necessity, everything hurt! Which also meant that we certainly didn’t lay around… we were out there seeing everything you could see, and it was AMAZING 🙂
Wherever you roam, I hope that you soak it in and realize how amazing it is to be there! Hawaii is certainly a place to do some reflecting and deep thinking…the kind where everything is put into perspective. I had a moment our first morning there where I was up crazy early because of the time change (3am) so I went outside and sat on our huge porch looking up at a black sky full of stars. It was a feeling of total gratefulness for everything in my life and being on this trip. Everything had led me to that very moment where I was looking up, and overwhelmed, in Hawaii with my husband, and I am eternally thankful for it. This trip for me was more than exploring, it was about reflection. Life has a winding, twisty way of working out. We loved every minute of this trip…
I hope the list above helps prepare a future Hawaiian traveler! Travel, learn, and share…
Travel Safe, and Go Explore!
#GoAdventure
Heather & Nate
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